The invention relates to a rudder rotor for watercraft and floating equipment.
It is known that with rudders for watercraft and floating equipment approximately two thirds of the rudder action is produced on the suction side and approximately one third on the pressure side. Depending on the width to height ratio of the rudder and the arrangement in the rudder outside the propeller race a suction side separation occurs with a 15.degree. to 35.degree. rudder angle and the suction side action largely collapses. Driven rotors have proved satisfactory in preventing this and they are located either in the leading edge of the rudder or within the bends of multipart rudders (German Patent Application No. 28 20 355, German Pat. No. 420 840).
The hitherto constructed rudder rotors have either been driven mechanically or with a hydraulic motor, the supply line being passed through the hollow-drilled rudder post.
It is naturally very complicated to mechanically drive a rudder rotor through a hollow-drilled rudder post and requires a degree of manufacturing precision which can scarcely be obtained in ship building, so that such a drive is correspondingly expensive.
A drive by a hydraulic motor arranged in the rudder plate is considerable less complicated and costly, although problems are encountered in placing the necessarily very thick hydraulic pipes through the hollow-drilled rudder post and in the actual rudder body. This is particularly the case if account is taken of the fact that the rudder must be rapidly and easily assemblable and disassemblable so as not to unnecessarily impede maintenance and repair work on the propeller or propeller shaft. In addition, considerable flow resistances result from the large number of bends necessary in the hydraulic lines. In installed systems over 60% of the power supplied to the steering engine room is lost in the hydraulic lines. A further disadvantage of the hydraulic rotor drive is the risk of leaks, which can only be repaired when the ship is docked.